WORLD MISSILE DIRECTORY
Vought test-fires a 2in-diameter Hypervelocity Missile
microprocessor technology, an improved seeker, and
high-lift folding wings. Production deliveries are
expected to begin this year.
Operators US Air Force, US Navy, US Marine Corps,
Britain, Greece, Saudi Arabia, South Korea,
Netherlands, Australia, Taiwan.
Texas Instruments AGM-88 Harm The High-
Speed Anti-Radiation Missile is now in production to
meet a potential US requirement for 20,000 rounds.
The first production Harm was handed over to the US
Navy on December 2, 1982, and an initial batch of 80
will be delivered by September 1983. Production will
reach 25 a month by November 1983.
The US Navy plans to arm the A-7E, F/A-18, and
A-6E with the missile, which will correct the
operational difficulties encountered with
Shrike—Harm will be faster, have a greater range,
improved sensitivity, flexible logic, and broadband
coverage with a single seeker head. The missile will
also equip the USAF's F-4G Wild Weasel defence-
suppression aircraft.
Hostile ground radars to be attacked with Harm are
detected by an Itek ALR-45 radar warning receiver or
by the missile's own seeker operating in the search
mode. Threat priorities are computed by a Magnavox
ALR-50 missile launch-warning receiver with its
associated digital interface, allowing Harms to be fired
against radars which are actively engaged in guidance
of surface-to-air missiles.
In the USAF's Wild Weasel aircraft the weapon will
be interfaced with the McDonnell Douglas APR-38
radar homing and warning system. Texas Instruments
is developing the AWG-25 command launch computer
and a cockpit control panel to be installed in Harm-
equipped aircraft.
The weapon has three operating modes. In Self-
Protect, it locks on to targets designated by the radar
warning receiver; in Seeker-Search the round can
conduct its own autonomous search; and in Pre-Brief
mode the round climbs to altitude then searches for
emitters whose parameters were pre-loaded into the
missile guidance unit before launch.
Vought Hypervelocity Missile (HVM) An unusual
solution to the problem of defeating armoured fighting
vehicles has been developed by Vought and is under
going technology demonstration for the US Air Force.
The hypervelocity missile is a low-cost, spin-
stabilised round which uses its very high velocities for
kinetic energy penetration of armour without the need
for an explosive warhead. Less than 4in diameter,
HVM can be carried in substantial numbers aboard
aircraft and is designed to attack up to ten separate
targets simultaneously.
Guidance is by means of a laser-based command
link, each round being fitted with a rearward-looking
sensor. A laser in the launch aircraft scans the terrain,
sending commands to the missiles on a time-sharing
principle.
The HVM is one of a family of Vought-designed
kinetic energy penetrators, which vary in size, can be
guided or unguided, and which are intended for such
diverse roles as battlefield use by ground vehicles, ship
defence, and protection of missile sites. Travelling at
velocities of more than 4,000ft/sec, small versions of
the missile have demonstrated penetration of armour
specimens at angles of up to 60°.
WAAM The Wide Area Anti-armour Munitions
programme is designed to give USAF aircraft the
ability to kill several armoured targets per pass, even
at night and in bad weather. Three types of munition
are being considered: Anti-armour cluster munitions
(ACM), extended-range anti-tank mine (ERAM) and
the Wasp mini-missile.
ACM is an unguided munition designed for launch at
low altitude from a special dispenser, with each
submunition—several types may be carried in the same
dispenser—descending by parachute and being
detonated when a probe strikes the ground; high-
velocity slugs are then produced to destroy the target.
The concept validation phase of the ACM programme
is nearing completion, and a decision will then be
made on whether to proceed with full development,
leading to initial production this year.
ERAM is an air-dropped multishot land mine
dispensed from an unguided cluster weapon weighing
some 450kg, each mine being detonated on command
from a seismic/acoustic sensor which detects the
presence of moving armoured vehicles. ERAM is at
present in a project-validation phase being carried
out by Avco and Hughes, awarded competitive
contracts in June 1979. Production could begin in 1984
or 1985.
Wasp Hughes Aircraft is currently involved in
concept validation of the Wasp mini-missile. The first
launch of a guided test round was scheduled for
January this year. The self-aiming millimetre-wave
radar seeker has been successfully tested,
demonstrating its ability to locate fixed and moving
targets, and to select the correct member of a linear,
random, or specific array, in fog, rain, and snow.
Eight validation test launches are scheduled before
the programme ends in May this year. Full-scale
development is scheduled to follow. Over 48 months
500 missiles will be fired from representative launch
pods on F-16s, A-lOs, and F-lllFs.
Low-rate production of Wasp is scheduled to begin
at the end of 1985, providing missiles for two years of
operational testing. Full-rate production is to get
under way early in 1988.
Wasp's primary objective is to attack armoured
reinforcements 50- 100km behind enemy lines. The
mini-missiles are carried in a 12-round, 2,0001b launch
pod: two on an F-16, four on an A-10 or F-lll. The
missiles can be fired singly or in salvoes of up to 12,
climbing to a constant cruise height from a covert
low-level launch.
After a delay the seeker switches on and begins to
search for targets. Once the correct, pre-programmed
target has been acquired, the missile dives to penetrate
the tank's top armour with a shaped-charge warhead.
Wasp provides multiple kills per pass despite the
position uncertainties of moving targets.
Soviet Union
AS-4 Kitchen Carried by Tu-22 Blinder Bs since
1967, one missile being semi-recessed in the weapons
bay. Kitchen is reported to arm Tu-26 Backfires as an
interim weapon.
AS-5 Kelt Carried in pairs by Tu-16 Badger Gs, this
combination superseding Badger B/AS-1.
AS-6 Kingfish Carried by Backfire and Tu-16
bombers. The missile is usually launched at an altitude
of some 11,000m, then climbs to more than 18,000m
for mid-course cruise.
AS-7 Kerry A radio-command missile carried by
the Su-24 Fencer—possibly as an interim weapon until
later models are available—and by other attack
aircraft. Kerry is normally launched in the,
300-3,000m height band.
AS-8 This fire-and-forget weapon similar in concept
to Hellfire, is reported to be under development to arm
the Mi-24 Hind helicopter gunship. Reports that the
weapon entered service in 1977 suggest that "AS-8" is
a garbled report of the helicopter-mounted AT-6
Spiral (see anti-tank Section).
AS-X-9 This 80/90km-range missile is equipped
with a passive radiation seeker and may be intended
for anti-ship use.
AS-X-IO MiG-27, Su-17, and Su-24 fighters are
armed with this 3m-long semi-active laser-guided
weapon. The solid-propellant rocket motor gives a
cruising speed of Mach 0 • 8 and a range of up to 10km.
AS-X-? Referred to as "Advanced TASM" in the
USA, this 40km-range weapon is thought to use a
mixture of command or inertial mid-course guidance
and electro-optical terminal homing.
AS-X-? A Mach 3-5 missile with a range of around
800km is being developed to replace the AS-6
Kingfish.
AS-X-? A new air-launched attack missile with a
range of 1,200km is under development to arm the
bombers of Soviet Long-Range Aviation. The weapon
is known to be powered by an air-breathing engine, but
it is not yet clear if it is in the performance class of the
US ALCM (See section 2).
Laser-guided bombs Frontal Aviation units of the
Soviet Air Force have been issued with laser-guided
bombs, weapons probably similar in concept to the US
Paveway series.
FLIGHT International, 5 February 1983 325